Do Brentford Have a Shot At European Football?
Since their promotion in 2021, small West London club Brentford (famously dubbed ‘just a bus stop in Hounslow’) surprised everyone with their form and have since become Premier League stalwarts. Even more surprising has been their form this season so far, having lost long-time manager Thomas Frank and the talismanic striking duo of Brian Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa, to Manchester United and Newcastle respectively.
The inexperienced Keith Andrews has done what the Bees have so successfully done in the past, making shrewd signings and promoting from within, with a squad spearheaded by the formidable Igor Thiago, at the time of writing the second highest scorer in the league so far. All this has put them in the running for European Football next season, but can they achieve this lofty aim? And what would a spot in Europe do to the team next year? Let’s take a closer look.
Unlikely Success
After the departure of Frank to Tottenham Hotspur, and the loss of several key players over the summer, the Bees were tipped to be in a relegation battle this time round. With Andrews, former set piece coach, at the helm, many criticised his lack of experience, and the side were expected to struggle.
As it is, at the time of writing Brentford sit seventh in the Premier League, and given the number of places afforded to English clubs in Europe, they stand in pretty good stead to make it into the UEFA Europa Conference, or even better than that.
Their success has come as a pleasant surprise to many who have respect for the club, its philosophy, and ability to operate in the top flight with a minuscule budget compared to the top teams surrounding them.
Can They Do It?
Having drawn 1-1 with title challengers Arsenal in February, the Bees were then met with a potentially momentum-killing 0-2 loss at home to Brighton later in the month. However, a run of winnable fixtures awaits them, with the promise of some extra points to give their European challenge a boost.
We all know, though, there are no easy games at this level, and there are a few potential banana skins in there, with teams in the lower order battling hard for Premier League survival. The bookies currently put Brentford at around 11/1 to get a top-five finish in the league as of early March. With predictions still uncertain, some fans may instead look to football-themed games like Football! Cash Collect, which is sometimes available through a slots sign up bonus.
Though, hope is not all lost, should the Bees weather the storm and claim big points from these games, a top six finish isn’t out of the question. This is especially so if the Brighton result represents a blip, rather than the beginning of a dip in form.
What If…
So Brentford’s European prospects are still firmly in their hands, but they would be wise to look at other sides who have qualified for Europe but seen their team’s league form diminish, perhaps due to a more crammed fixture schedule with less recovery time between league games. Nottingham Forest are a great example of this, with their European campaign this year severely compromising league performance, leading to the departure of more than one manager so far this term.
This all comes after their last high-flying season in which they were seen as potential, if highly underdog, Champion contenders. Now they find themselves languishing in the bottom half of the table, so it would be wise for Brentford to plan ahead carefully, should a European campaign be on the cards.
Brentford have surprised everyone since their promotion to Premier League football in 2021. And on the cusp of unlikely European football next year, more surprises may yet lie in wait. It remains to be seen how the rest of the season pans out, but fans will be hoping and praying for good results to come their way.
